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` No. 608,095. Patented July 26, |892.

C. L. ANSLEY.

AIR BRAKE.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1s 97.) (No ModeIL) Y 2 Sheefs-Sheet I.

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l @Uirnn .M1-'ESC CHARLES L. ANSLEY, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOROFONE-FOURTH TO CHARLES G. ARTHUR, OF PLACE.

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SPECIFCATIOT forming part of Letters Patient No. 608,095, dated July 26,1898.. Application filed August 28, 1897. Serial N0. 649,875'. (Nomodel.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. ANsLEv, of Atlanta, in the county ofFulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Air-Brakes, of which the following is a speciiication. l My inventionrelates to certain improvements in that form of railway air-brakes knownas the Westinghouse system. As

form of air-brake the application of the brakes i necessarily reducesthe air-pressure in the auxiliary reservoir, and when the brakes arereleased the air is discharged from the air- 2 5 brake cylinder into theouter air before the pressure is restored in the auxiliary reservoir.This recharging proceedsslowly for the reason that the admission of airfrom the trainpipe to the auxiliary air-reservoir takes place 3o througha small passage way aroundr the triple-valve piston. It follows,therefore, that if for any reason a second application ofthe brake isrequired immediately after the brakes are released there is a relativelylow 3 5 air-pressure in the 'auxiliary air-reservoir to rely upon, andupon several successive applications of the brakes before the auxiliaryairreservoir could be refilled to its proper pressure the supply in theauxiliary reservoir would be so depleted as to leave the train in awell-nigh helpless condition. My invention is designed to obviate thisdangerous state of affairs, and it contemplates such improvements ascause the auxiliary air-reservoir to be replenished with its maximumpressure of air immediately after the brakes are applied and before theair is discharged from the brake-cylinder and the brakes are released,thus preventing any waste of air and preserving the maximum efficiencyfor the brakes under all conditions. To this end myinvention consists ina construction and arrangement of parts that allows air to pass to theauxiliary reservoir while in the position of brakes applied and in adevice which I term 5 5 a retainer to hold the parts in such position asto allow this operation to take place, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed and particularly claimed.

My invention is illustrated in the ac compa- 6o nyingdrawings, in which-Figure l is a sectional view of the apparatus, taken through aportion ofthe brakecylinder head, the triple valve, and my retaining devices, theparts being shown in the position of brakes applied. l Fig. 2 is asectional view of my devices shown in connection with only those partswith which they coact, the parts being in the position of brakesreleased;77 and Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 7o 2, showing the partsin the initial movement for applying the brakes.

In all the figures the same reference letters and numerals indicatecorresponding parts, and the parts drawn inlight section-lines andmarked with gureslindicate the old parts of the Westinghouse brake,while the parts drawn in heavy section-lines and marked withreference-letters indicate my improvements.

Referring to Fig.` l, Athe numeral l indi- 8o cates a part of the'brake-cylinder. 2 is its head, which is cored out to form a passageway3,\thr`ough which compressed air is admitted to the cylinder in applyingthe brakes, and with which head the air-pipe from the auxiliaryair-reservoir is connected at 4L. 5 is the connection for thetrain-pipe, and the numerals 5 to 27 represent the various parts of thetriple valve of the Westinghouse systern. These parts I need notdescribe in de- 9o tail, as they are all old and in common use; but itis essential for the purpose of clearly distinguishing my invention andaccentuating its importance to describe the general operation of thewell-known triple valve and 9 5 its defects in applying andreleasing thebrakes. From this description the cylindrical case B and all itscontained parts which con` stitute my retainer are omitted, as well asthe construction and operation of the tripleroo valve piston and thepassage-way a.

Assuming that the triple-valve piston 9 is to the extreme left, as inFig. 2, which is the normal position of the brakes when released, thebrakes are applied as follows: The engineer reduces pressure in thetrain-pipe by operatin g the discharge-valve. Up to this time theauxiliary-air-reservoir pressure is on one side (the left) of piston 9and the pressure in the train-pipe through chambers 6 and '7 is on theother (the right) side, and an equal pressure on both sides ismaintained through the passage-Way 23 around the said piston;

but when the engineer reduces pressure in` the train-pipe, andconsequently in chambers 6 and 7, the piston 9 moves over to the rightand strikes against the spring-seated stem S, as in Fig. 3. As thepiston 9 thus moves, carrying the stem 1l with it, (through a loose dragconnection,) the graduating-valve 10 is also moved to the right anduncovers a port 27. This port is in open communication with the spaceabout the piston-stem and the auxiliary air-reservoir, and as valve 10uncovers the port 27 air from the auxiliary air-reservoir enters frompipe 4 and passes through ports 14 and 16 to passage 3 to the air-brakecylinder, it being remembered that the case B and part B4 are not nowconsidered. The brakes are now applied and piston 9 moves slightly backto the left from spring-stem 3 and the graduating-valve 10 closes port27. Now to discharge the brake-cylinder and recharge the auxiliaryair-reservoir the engineer throws a heavier pressure on the trainpipethan that carried normally by the auxiliary air-reservoir, and thisforces the piston 9 against the auxiliary-air-reservoir pressure and tothe extreme left, as in Fig. 2. This causes the passage-way 26 of theslide-valve 13 to cover the ports 16 and 25, and as 16 is incommunication with the air-brake cylinder and 25 is the exhaust-portopening into the outer air it will be seen that the air from theair-brake cylinder is discharged into the outer air and the brakesreleased. Immediately following this the depleted pressure in theauxiliary air-reservoir is restored to its normal state f rom thetrain-pipe by a flow of air through chambers 6 and 7, around piston 9,through passage-way 23, (see Fig. 2,) thence to the space around theslide-valve 13 and to the passage-way 4, leading to the auxiliaryair-reservoir. It will thus be seen that the air in the auxiliaryreservoir can only be replenished by this old form of device after theair-brake cylinder is discharged and the brake released. This is veryobjectionable for the reasons already above set forth.

My invention provides means for recharging the auxiliary airreservoirwhile the brakes are still applied or before the air is dischalged fromthe brake-cylinder, so that munication aroundthe piston upon oppositesides of the same when the piston is in position of brakes applied, asin Fig. 1, and then is applied my invention which I term a retainer tohold the said piston 9 in this position. This device is contained withina cylindrical casing B, which is bolted between the brake-cylinder head2 on the left and the triple-valve casing on the right. Vithin thecasing B is a metal bushing B', having on its exterior surface acircular recess or groove b2, forming an annular passage-way between thebushing and the casing. Fixed at one end of this bushing is a collar B4,having a peripheral and cup-shaped iiange and a central hole of muchless size than the cross-sectional area of the bushing. Through thiscupshaped flange of the collar there is a port b3, communicating withthe annular passage b2 around the bushing, and said bushing also hasseveral holes b on the opposite side of the collar and set a littledistance from the same, which holes also communicate with the annularpassage-way b2. A longitudinal recess l) is also formed within the innerperiphery of the bushing, extending a greater length than the thicknessof the piston B3, which plays within this bushing. The piston B3 ismounted upon a stem B2, one end l)T of which slides in and is guidedWithin a hole in the end of the casing B and the other end of which isadapted to strike against the head 11G of the stem of the slide-valve.The retainer-casing B has a passage-Way b4, that connects thepassage-way 3 of the brake-cylinder headwith the inlet-port 16 of thetriple valve and has also openingsl, which open communication betweenthe interior or" the bushing and the auxiliary-air-reservoir pipe 4.

The operation of my devices in connection with the triple valve is asfollows: Vhen brakes are applied, the reduction of air-pressure in thetrain-pipe acts as already described-z'. e., the piston 9 moves over tothe right to the position shown in Fig. 3, opening graduating-valve port27, and air iiows from the auxiliary reservoir to the brake-cylinder, asfollows: from 4, through b5, down 1) to the annular chamber b2, up holeb3 to the space around slide-valve 13,and through ports 27, 14, 16, b4,and 3 to brake-cylinder, applying the brakes. The valve 10 thengraduates and closes port 27, and the piston 9 moves slightly back fromthe position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig 1, and the auxiliaryreservoir is replenished through the following path: from train-pipe 5,chambers 6 and 7, through passage-ways a a, around the pistou 9,`through slide-valve chamber, down hole b3, annular chamber b2, andthence through holes b and b5 to auxiliary air-reservoir through pipe 4,thus recharging the said reservoir while the brakes are applied. Duringthis operation the piston 9 is held in this position by my retainer,consisting of the stem B2 and piston B3, the stem B2 rigidly connectedto B8 and both resting against IOO IIO

ferential value.

the stem 11 of the piston 9, these parts being held in this position bydifferential areas of pressurethat is to say, on the left it has itsentire area exposed to the pressure of the auxiliary reservoir, while onthe right it rests air-tight against the collarB4 and has only a smallarca exposed to the same pressure or an area equal to the opening in thecenter of the collar B4. It will thus be seen that the auxiliaryair-reservoir is recharged with its full normal pressure before thebrakes are released. To release the brakes, a heavier airpressure thanthat normally in the auxiliary air-reservoir is thrown into thetrain-pipe, and this, acting upon the piston 9, drives back its stem 1land produces a kick on the stem B2 of :retaining-piston B3, that drivesit away fromthe collar B4 and destroys its dif- The piston 9 then passesto its extreme position on the left, as in Fig. 2,

while the retaining-piston B3 passes over holesh and stops under thepassage-way b, and air is then free to exert its pressure from thetrain-pipe to the auxiliary reservoir through the passage way 23 aroundpiston 9 and through passage-way Z) around piston B3. The parts are allnow in the normal running position with brakes released. For the purposeof avoiding prolixity I have not described the complete operation of thetriple valve in the exercise of its functions for emergencyapplications, this being old and not necessary to an understanding of myinvention. I will state briefly, however, that in an emergencyapplication an extreme movement to the right of slidevalve 13 throughports 15 and 16 opens the auxiliary reservoir to the brake cylinder andalso through a port 17 forces piston 19 down, opening valve 2l. Theair-pressure in the train-pipe then lifts valve 22 and passes up aroundvalve 2l directly to the port b4 and jthe brake-cylinder, giving thefull effect of the air in both the auxiliary reservoir and that in thetrain-pipe.

I am aware that a triple-valve device is old wherein a piston-chamberhas the inner surface of its wall provided with a recharging groove orchannel for the passage of fluid under pressure past the valve-operatingpiston from the brake-pipe to the auxiliary reservoir during the periodof application of the brakes, and also that the combination is old of atrainpipe and an `air-reservoir with a passage between the two alwaysopen one way only, adapted at all times to allo7 duid-pressure to enterthe air-reservoir; but

W'hat I claim is- 1. In an air-brake of the kind described,

ythe combination with the air-braking cylinder, the auxiliaryair-reservoir,` and the triple valve, of means for passing the airaround the main piston of the triple valve when in the position ofbrakes applied, and an alltomatic pneumatic retaining device for holdingthe piston in this position to restore air-pressure inthe auxiliaryair-reservoir before discharging the brake-cylinder, said retainingdevice being made in the form of a casing,

and a piston both sides of which are exposed to the auxiliary pressureof the air-reservoir in ,both of the positions of said piston, and saidpiston having its opposite sides exposed to unequal areas of pressurewhen in position of brakes applied and to equal areas when in 4positionof brakes released, substantially as described.

2. In an air-brake of the kind described, the combination with theair-brake cylinder, the auxiliary air-reservoir, and the triple valve,of means for passing the air around the main piston of the triple valvewhen in the posi-- tion of brakes applied, and a device forautomatically retaining the triple-valve piston in its said position,said device comprising a casing and a piston, the piston having both itssides exposed to the air-reservoir pressure and to unequal areas ofpressure when in position of brakes applied, and both sides exposed tothe air-reservoir pressure and to an equal area of pressure when thebrakes are released, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In an air-brake the combination withl the brake cylinder, theauxiliary reservoir, a

triple valve and main piston, of means for.

passing the air around the main piston of the triple valve, and aretaining device between the triple valve and said reservoir, saidretainer consisting of a chamber provided with a partition having acentral opening and passages communicating with said triple valve andreservoir, an automatic differentially-y acting piston within saidchamber engaging said partition when the brakes are applied and adaptedto contact directly with the main piston through said opening, wherebywhen the brakes are applied, said main piston is held in position torecharge said reservoir, substantially as described.

4L. In an air-brake the combination with the air-brake cylinder, theauxiliary air-reservoir and the main-valve-operating piston, ofretaining means for recharging the auxiliary reservoir and not thebrake-cylinder, when in position of brakes applied, said meansconsisting of a casing, fixed between the brakecylinder and thetriple-valve casing, a `bushing within said casing provided with anannular air passage-way between the bushing and the casing, a cupshapedcollar fixed at one end of said bushing and having a cen=` tral opening, a differentially-aeting piston the stem of which extends through saidopening and adapted to engage directly with the main piston, saidbushing and collar provided with pressure-communicating passages to theauxiliary reservoir and brake-cylinder, substantially as described.

5. A retaining device for the triple-valve piston consisting of apiston, a piston-cylinder having a peripheral chamber b2 with holes band b3 and channel b, and the differentiating collar B4 located betweenholes b b3 cov- ICO IZO

ering a portion of the area of the piston When piston B3, With the stemB2, substantially as adjusted lagainst the same, substantially as andfor the purpose described. 1o and for the purpose described. Intestimony whereof I affix my signature G. The combination of the casingBhaving in presence of tWo Witnesses. 5 openings b5 and passage-Way b4,the bushing CHARLES L. ANSLEY.V

B having peripheral chamber b2, holes b and Witnesses: b3 communicatingtherewith, and channel b, JOS. H. BLACKWOOD,

the fixed differentiating collar B4, and the WV. H. DOOLITTLE.

